Ozaukee Elementary School

L to J Core Vocabulary

L to J Core Vocabulary

We know that students learn more and faster if they are familiar with academic terms. In the past students have been taught and quizzed on vocabulary words and often “forgotten” the words soon after the quiz or the unit is finished.

Students no longer will have permission to forget. Teachers will be implementing a new process which promotes continual improvement. We call this the “L to J” Challenge.

How It Works

Each grade level has chosen vocabulary that students should know by the end of the year. The entire list of words with definitions and pictures or examples is given to students and parents in September.

Each week students are checked on a “random sample” from the list. The sample number is the square root of the total number of words. If the grade level list is 50, then 7 words will be randomly chosen for that week’s check. A few words from the previous grade’s list may also be randomly chosen and added to the check.

After the students’ check activity, teachers will briefly “review” terms that have already been taught and quickly “preview” any words that will be taught later in the year.

The number of words each student gets correct of the check is added up for the class. The goal for each week is to get one more correct than the previous week. This is known as an All Time Best or an ATB.

Students who achieve perfect scores for seven weeks in a row no longer have to take the checks, but a perfect score will be added to the class total each week.

Student performance is not recorded on report cards. This is a challenge activity to promote learning and personal accountability.

We will be adding up sections of each grade level to come up with a grade level total and adding the grade levels for a building total. The building totals will be posted in each school’s lobby.

Key Points

Students are not expected to know the vocabulary at the beginning of the year. Not knowing a word does not count against a student, nor is it part of any grade.

Every student’s score counts towards the classes’ all time best. The idea is to do one better.

The randomly drawn sample each week may produce an easy or difficult check. At the end of the year, students will find that the checks will become much easier.

Check activities will look different from grade to grade. Younger students will use pictures and do the checks individually with an adult. Older students will use different formats.

Parents are encouraged to review vocabulary at home throughout the year.